Thornton, a village around four miles from Bradford and five miles from Haworth is often overlooked by those on a literary pilgrimage, but it is in fact one of the wonderful secrets of this region. As we stand on the brink of the Brontë bicentennial celebrations (2016, 2018 and 2020 mark the 200th anniversaries of the births of Charlotte, Emily and Anne Brontë respectively), Thornton has launched a new festival to proclaim itself, quite rightly, as the birthplace of the Brontës.
Many of the events will be held at Thornton’s St James’ church, and further details can be found on their website. The church itself stands opposite the ‘Bell Chapel’, the ruins of the church in which Patrick served. On Thursday 10th, St James’ will also be officially unveiling this Brontë mural:
One special delight is the rare display of the original christening records of Anne, Emily, Branwell,and Charlotte. The children were christened by Reverend William Morgan, a family friend. Sadly he would also, all too soon, be tasked with presiding over Branwell’s funeral, as he did for the funerals of Maria and Elizabeth at Haworth. Read more: annebronte and on James4u/bronte
